Curious About Starlink’s ‘Best Effort’ Tier? Early Users Give Rave Reviews

Speeds can be slower than what Starlink usually offers. But for rural users with few options for high-speed internet, the Best Effort tier is a huge improvement.

- MICHAEL KAN

Darren Clark lives in Michigan, where he used to receive dismal internet speeds ranging from 2.5Mbps to 3.5Mbps. The DSL internet was so bad that he’d have to drive his family elsewhere to find faster broadband and finish software and game downloads.

“Many times, we ended up going to McDonald’s or out to the local Meijer grocery store for internet access,” he told PCMag.

But in recent days, Clark’s home internet is getting speeds between 10Mbps and 100Mbps. The reason? He’s among the first people to try out Starlink’s Best Effort tier, the latest offering from SpaceX’s satellite internet service.

“I have to say, Starlink Best Effort is a lifesaver for me and my family,” he said. “My kids are amazed that a 1GB download can finish in a couple of minutes instead of one hour.”

The Best Effort tier is SpaceX’s attempt to address the huge pre-order backlog for the Starlink service; the company has been struggling to meet demand as the network is stretched to capacity. Clark had been on a waitlist since he placed a pre-order on Feb. 8, 2021.

So last month, SpaceX began offering select pre-order customers an alternative in the Best Effort Tier. Users invited to the program can get access to the Starlink network but at slower download speeds, which can range from 5Mbps to 100Mbps—a significant downgrade from the typical 50Mbps-to-200Mbps speeds for the residential Starlink service.

In an email to invited customers, SpaceX noted this caveat: “Best Effort users will be deprioritized behind Residential users.”